The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development participates in Uganda's 2nd Africa High-Level Forum of South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development

Uganda on January 26, 2023

The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, represented by Dr. Mona Essam, Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development Affairs, participated in the "Second High-level African Forum for South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development", which was held in the presence of the President of the Republic of Uganda, in the capital, Kampala, Uganda.

The forum was organized by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the United Nations Office for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (UNoSSC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).

During her speech, Dr. Mona Essam pointed out the importance of the topic of the session during the current stage, which revolves around "economic resilience and financing for development", especially in light of regional and global challenges, which require confronting, dealing with and recovering from them, not resisting them.

Essam emphasized that the COVID-19 pandemic left governments with no choice but to work to mitigate the repercussions of the pandemic on growth rates, job opportunities, and citizens' quality of life.

The pandemic also highlighted the importance of coordination and partnership at all levels to meet the growing demand for financing resilience and recovery operations. This will enable us to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

Essam explained that the Egyptian state adopted a proactive approach to confronting the crisis based on three basic principles: protection, mitigation, and flexibility, to ensure the readiness of the health system, in addition to maintaining the sustainability of economic activities and protecting the most vulnerable groups.

She indicated that the Ministry of Planning had launched the "COVID-19 Procedure Observatory" on the ministry's official website, and all measures taken were linked to the goals of sustainable development.

Essam indicated that this crisis created many lessons learned, including the commitment to continuing economic and social reforms, especially in times of crisis. He also stressed the need to make efforts toward bridging developmental gaps geographically.

Dr. Mona Essam stressed the centrality of financing for development as one of the main possibilities for achieving development goals. Due to the directive, the Ministry of Planning needs to diversify funding sources for development plans and programs.

The Ministry is working hard to create an environment conducive to the transition towards a sustainable and green economy. This includes encouraging partnerships between the public and private sectors through the work of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE), and the issuance of bonds and green sukuk.

She also referred to the current efforts to formulate the first national strategy for financing the sustainable development goals in Egypt, with the participation of 13 federal entities, by applying the "Integrated National Framework for Financing" methodology, provided by the United Nations, and which the organization is supporting countries seeking to implement.

The attendees, including senior African government officials, representatives of regional and international organizations, and various financing institutions, praised the Egyptian development experience.

It should be noted that the first edition of the high-level forum was organized in Cairo from 24-25 November 2021.

The forum is a regional platform that brings together African countries to discuss mechanisms and tools for South-South and triangular cooperation, as well as opportunities and challenges for cooperation programs in this regard, in a manner appropriate to the specificity of the African context.